Petty and Sons
of Whitehall Printeries, Whitehall Road, Leeds, 12. Telephone: Leeds 32341. Cables: "A.B.C. Code, 5th Edition". London Office at 14 Queen Victoria Street, EC4. Telephone: City 5558
1894 The company was registered on 21 August, to acquire a business of printers and manufacturing stationers. [1]
1947 British Industries Fair Advert for Advertising in Colour. Also Letterpress and Photo-Litho-Offset Processes. Producing Catalogues, Showcards, Packed Goods, Labels, High-Grade colour Work. Process Engraving. (Stationery and Printing Section - Olympia, 1st Floor, Stand No. G.2088) [2]
1984 Photographic view of Petty and Sons Ltd, lithographic and colour printers, situated at number 16 Whitehall Road. The photograph was taken looking towards Whitehall junction. [3]
1888 'THE INDUSTRIES OF LEEDS ADS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. .... No. 1. THE PRINTING INDUSTRY AT LEEDS. ..... Messrs. Petty and Sons have conducted their business in Trinity-street, Leeds, during most of the last quarter-century, and have frequenly added to their rooms and facilities. The ingenuity and enterprise of the junior members of the firm (Messrs. Wesley and Benjamin Petty) in designing novelties for some of the largest advertisers of the present day, have so greatly added to their requirements as to make it uecessary for them to acquire better premises. In addition to retaining their central offices in Trinity-street, which are used as receiving offices for their town trade, the "Whitehall Printeries" have been designed to their instructions by Mr. W. S. Braithwaite, architect, South-parade, and are situate near to Monk Bridge, in Whitehall-road, and overlooked by most of the trunk lines of railway entering Leeds. The main building has an effective frontage to the railways, and consists of a light and substantial structure in brick aud stone, surmounted by three dormer windows, the centre, rising higher than the others, contains an illuminated clock—supplied by Messrs. Potts and Sons, Leeds — the face being 6ft. in diameter — the clock is fitted with Lord Grimthorpe's escapement, ensuring perfect accuracy in time-keeping. The "Printeries" thus form an attractive addition to the various large works, which combine to give this borough its busy-hive-like look on entering Leeds, after leaving the Holbeck (ticket) stations. The main building is 143 ft. long, and 83ft wide, and rises to a height of 54ft. From this building a large four-storey wing runs for a further distance of 110 ft. to Whitehall-road, having a frontage of 51ft. to the road, and adjoining is a large convenient yard, containing stabling, boiler house, &c, and a chimney 90ft. high. The interior plan has been well considered, and the convenience of its details enable the various allied trades of letterpress and lithographic printing, binding, paper-bag makmg, photo-zincography, photo-litho, and collotype printing to be carried on with economy ot time and labour all round, in addition to which tbe ample amount ot breathing space, light, and ventilation ensure the health and comfort of all employed. The main building facing the rails is lit with the electric light, and warmed with hot steam pipes from the boilers. It is open to the roof, which consists of three iron spans, the north side of each span and the south side of the centre one being glazed with Hellewell's patent glazing. The whole building is flooded with light. Upon the concrete ground floor of this building is arranged the greater part of the litho and letterpress machinery, including litho machines by Newsam, Wood, and Dyson; Mann and Co., Ratcliffe and Co., Paton's, and G. Walker (all Leeds makers), and varying in size from a 60 + 40 inch, accommodating stones weighing over 900 lbs. each, to the quick-running new style lithos, built for quick colour printing. Conveniently arranged by the side of these machines are three stone-polishing machines and ink mills, while a travelling crane overhead carries the heavier stones to and from the machinery. The letterpress machines are principally Wharfedales and platen machines, aud amount to twenty-one in number. Alongside are four self-clamp guillotine cutting machines. Rollies run from the paper stores in the wing delivering paper to the machines, and again returning it to the cutters. Above this floor are two galleries, running round the entire building, and varying from 22 to 26 feet wide, supported on steel girder joists, from Middlesbrough, by a series of iron pillars, cast by C. H. Taylor, Leeds. It is worthy of note that no foreign iron or steel is used in any part of the building. The gallery fronts are neatly designed in iron, representing beehives, surrounded by floriated ironwork. The utmost rigidity is thus secured, and wdl doubtless be required, as the jtrst nailery is utilised for other lithographic machinery, power punching machines, two of Cundall's Victory Folding Machines, power stitching, eyesetting, ruling, paging, perforating, and varnishing machines. On this galiery also an enormous weight of iitho stones are deposited. The draughting department, transferring, proving, and photo-litho work all find room here, and in the ample space afforded on the same floor of the wing. In addition to which a large staff ot girls are employed in folding, punching, label making, and paper bag making, together with the ruling and binding department. The second (top) gallery is devoted to te case department, comprising different sections for the book and music work, specialty and bill work, sterotyping and zincography, with readers' offices, and an office for literary work attached. A portion of the wing on this floor is used as a dining hall, having a large kitchener aud other culinary arrangements, and being separated from the working rooms. In connection with the stereotype and electro department there are two furnaces, circular saws, casting machines, and ample facilities to enable the Whitehall Printeries to save wear and tear of type by working from plates. Above this gallery is a well-arranged photographic gallery. Messrs. Petty and Sons having recently bought tbe business of the Photo-mechanical Engraving Company, late of 12, Market-street, Leeds, this photo-gallery will be useful to them in developing their new department of zincography by all the new processes for newspaper and other work, and as the electric light is introduced in this department it will enable them to meet the requirements of their customers by day or night. The power for driving the whole of the machinery is one of the novelties of tbe place. It consists of a new type ef quick-speed high-pressure engine, with automatic expansion gearing, by Mr. Edwin Oldroyd, Crown Works, Leeds. It is of such diminutive size, as to appear altogether inadequate to drive such a vast amount of machinery — but the rapid travel ot the piston, 580 feet per minute, together with the economical application of the steam, explains the mystery — speed is power. A separate engine is kept for the electric lighting power — a twelve horse Otto gas engine. The light consists of twelve 1,000 caudle Pilsen arc lamps, and is used for the machine-room floor. In the galleries it is partially aided by gas. The building, or wing, facing Whitehall-road comprises receiving offices at the front, and a large paper warehouse on the same floor, below which the basement, with concrete floor, forms additional storage. Above aro the stock-rooms for the special designs of posters, plates (colour and plain), bordered. and pictorial placards, circulars, puzzle cards, and other novelties, mostly original registered patterns, and for which this firm has become so famous. The management and other offices are conveniently placed in elevated positions at the junction of the wing with the main building on each floor, and trom which uninterrupted views of the entire "Printeries" are readily obtained. The millwrighting throughout the works is of a superior character, and has been executed by the firm of Perkin and Co., Limited, Junction Engine Works. The contractors for the erection of the "Printeries" were Mr. Chas. Myers (brick, stone, and concrete). Messrs, Tomlinson and Mr. Banks Mawson (joiners), W. Towler (iron roof and steel girder joists), C. H. Taylor (iron pillars and gallery fronts), Jonas Gaunt (painter), John Atkinson and Son (slaters), and H. Braithwaite and Co. (plumber's work). ....'[4]